Saturday, February 23rd, 2019 Posted by Jim Thacker

Master Houdini Randomization and Scattering


The Gnomon Workshop has released Houdini Randomization and Scattering, a detailed guide to set dressing and shot layout techniques within Houdini 17.

The tutorial, which comprises over three and a half hours of video, is the latest in a series of Houdini training recorded for Gnomon by Psyop veteran Robby Branham.

A complete starter guide to Houdini’s powerful set dressing tools
Houdini Randomization and Scattering is designed to get artists up to speed with the set dressing techniques available in Houdini, enabling them to create complex 3D worlds efficiently.

The tutorial begins by discussing the basics of Houdini’s native scripting languages, HScript and VEX, before moving on to the Point SOP and parameter expressions.

Viewers are provided with a ‘cheat sheet’ to cut through the long list of variables and functions available, reducing the time needed to get up and running with expressions.

Branham gives step-by-step demonstrations of key techniques, including scattering objects along a surface; using randomisation to adjust position, scale and rotation; and using instancing to scatter multiple objects.

He also explains how to use copy stamping in a production workflow, through practical examples like creating patches of grass and rocks.

The training concludes with a breakdown of how the swamp shown in the video above was created, from concepting to asset development, set dressing, lighting, rendering in Redshift and compositing in Nuke.

About the artist
Senior 3D generalist and compositing artist Robby Branham began his career in entertainment production in 2009. Since then, he has worked for firms including Psyop, Digital Domain, Pixomondo, and Zoic Studios.

His work can be seen in film, commercials and game cinematics such as Microsoft’s ReCore and Supercell’s Clash of Clans. He has also taught at leading Hollywood-based CG school Gnomon.

Pricing and availability
Houdini Randomization and Scattering is available via an online subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, giving you access to over 300 tutorials. Subscriptions cost $49/month or $499/year.

Read more about Houdini Randomization and Scattering on The Gnomon Workshop’s website


Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.